By Bronte Price, PoliticKING
GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich are reportedly joining forces to deny Donald Trump the Republican presidential nomination.
The two issued statements within minutes of each other on Sunday night saying that they plan to divide their efforts in upcoming primary elections in order to deny him the 1,237 delegates delegate count he needs to solidify his nomination. Cruz will focusing on Indiana while Kasich will focus efforts on Oregon and New Mexico. They have reportedly been working on this plan for weeks.
Cruz & Kasich announce joint strategy to combat Trump in select upcoming primaries. https://t.co/sG4b56vsSjpic.twitter.com/ccuJOhIUxv
— NPR (@NPR) April 25, 2016
"This is a nationwide campaign and we're making a decision where to focus our time, energy and resources," Cruz told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham on Monday. "We are now focused very, very heavily on the state of Indiana. It is significant that John Kasich is pulling out of Indiana and allowing us to go directly head to head with Donald Trump."
John Kasich said that, regardless of the agreement, he still wants voters in Indiana to support him. "They ought to vote for me," he said at a Philadelphia diner on Monday. "I'm not campaigning in Indiana and he's not campaigning in these other states, that's all. It's not a big deal," Kasich said.
Trump blasted the pair on Twitter Sunday night.
"Wow, just announced that Lyin' Ted and Kasich are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the Republican nomination. DESPERATION!" he tweeted.
Wow, just announced that Lyin' Ted and Kasich are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the Republican nomination. DESPERATION!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2016
Lyin' Ted and Kasich are mathematically dead and totally desperate. Their donors & special interest groups are not happy with them. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2016
Dan Scavino, Trump’s social media director, also blasted the Cruz and Kasich on Twitter. "Two losing politicians-mathematically eliminated from receiving the nomination-trying something NEW! They will FAIL!" he tweeted.
John Kasich's chief strategist, John Weaver, said in a statement: "Due to the fact that the Indiana primary is winner-take-all statewide and by congressional district, keeping Trump from winning a plurality in Indiana is critical to keeping him under 1,237 bound delegates before Cleveland. We are very comfortable with our delegate position in Indiana already, and given the current dynamics of the primary there, we will shift our campaign's resources West and give the Cruz campaign a clear path in Indiana."
Here’s what Tavis Smiley has to say about Donald Trump:
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